And You Thought I Wouldn't Notice
by Arouria
Summary: "You flash that big smile of yours and say everything's ok, you put on a show and everyone forgets. Well listen up tough guy, you can't fool me, because if I'm still not ok, you sure as hell aren't either!"


**wowowow I'm sooo sorry I haven't been around recently! I haven't had internet for nearly two weeks /sobs**

**I know I said Dungeons and Dragons would be the next to update, but I've had this one done fro a long time now, so think of it as an apology one-shot? Yes? No? Maybe? Ehem. Well. Uh. Dungeons and Dragons will definitely be the next to update! I promise this on my grave! (It's almost done anyways heh(**

**This one-shot takes place right after the crown scene at the end of the GMGs, before they return home in the next chapter. This is what I like to think happened, call it wishful thinking...**

**Anyways, please enjoy!~**

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"Have you seen Natsu?"

Erza spun on me and gave me a puzzled look, like she really hadn't considered the pyro's lack of presence since the grand entrance he'd made hardly an hour earlier.

"Sorry Lucy, I haven't seen Natsu since he showed up with the crown about an hour ago. That was sure something, huh? I swear, that boy just does not know the meaning of restraint." Erza let out a sigh, like she'd gone wrong in her teachings somewhere.

I flashed a faltering smile at the redhead, "Oh, well thanks anyways!"

Holding back a sigh of frustration, I scooted away from the exquip mage and let her sink back into her rather heated conversation with Kagura about which type of cheesecake was best.

I lost track of how many times I'd asked the same question and gotten the same default answer: Nobody knew and nobody really seamed to care.

I stalked over to one of the hundreds of tables stacked sky-high with food and ripped a chicken leg off a display plate in frustration. Munching uninterestedly on the now-cold piece of meat, the same question that had been echoing in my mind all night long resurfaced itself once more: _If nobody else is bothered by it, why am I_?

And the answer was irritatingly simple.

I knew Natsu.

And I also knew there was no way Natsu was as 'OK' as he'd passed himself off to be.

A part of me was beyond pissed that he'd even tried to convince us he was ok, and another part ached for him, because most of us had actually bought it.

But not me. Because honestly, I wasn't as 'OK' as I'd passed myself off to be, either.

I felt another pang in my heart at the thought. In the heat of the battle everything that had happened _hurt, _but it didn't really, well, _sink in_. I'd seen myself die right in front of my own eyes, I'd seen the world fall to it's knees, I'd seen a future with no hope. But it was only now that everything was really starting to hit home.

In the adrenaline of war, pain is suppressed, tears are held back, and reality seams a little less, well, _real_. Chaos is distracting, and that's where we had been-in the midst of chaos.

But now the battle was over, the adrenaline was gone, and all that was left was the heartbreakingly raw emotions and the aching feeling of numbness.

And that was where I was- numb, confused, and utterly alone.

So if that was the state I was in, then Natsu, whose emotions always seamed to be more then he could handle, should be in a state similar to disaster.

The whole thing pissed me off.

I tossed what was left of the chicken leg back on the counter and continued my search for the pink-haired dragonslayer.

I'd already checked the dining hall, kitchen, and even the indoor balcony he'd appeared on earlier, and there was still no sign of the illusive teen. I sighed inwardly, _For someone who's usually the center of attention, he sure is good at not being found._

As I weaved my way in and out of bickering party guests, I made my way towards the only other place I imagined the absent fire mage could be. If he wasn't there, I was out of ideas.

After a good minute or two of avoiding awkward conversations with several completely wasted party guests, I finally reached my destination.

I peered up at the giant, draping curtains that fell over the twin glass doors out onto the balcony. The curtains had almost completely blocked out the existence of the two doors, the only proof they where even there was the slim golden handles that peeked out from behind the depths of the elaborate fabric.

I slowly took in a breath, delicately placing a hand on one of the two golden handles. I sent a silent prayer to whoever was listening that he would be there, because I sure as hell didn't know where else to look. I knew I had to find him. I had to know what was going on. Why was he pretending that everything was ok? Why would he lie to us? _To me?_

I gritted my teeth.

_Only one way to find out._

With one last mental surge of encouragement, I steadied my grip on the handle and pushed it outwards, stealthily slipping behind the velvet curtain and out into the cool summer air.

I didn't know weather to sigh in relief or scream in frustration.

Honestly I probably couldn't have done either since my breath caught in my throat the moment my eyes adjusted to the moonlight.

He was there. Sitting sideways on the balcony railing with one leg arched against the sky, the other dangling over the edge to the nothing below. His eyes were trained on something in the distance, so the back of his head was still facing me. He still had on the royal robes he'd stolen earlier, but he'd seemingly returned the crown back to it's rightful owner.

He looked like some sort of dark king of the night, with his cape blowing gently in the wind behind him, the moon casting the softest of shadows against his silhouette.

The whole scene was so incredibly un-Natsuish I was starting to feel uncomfortable.

Finally, he seamed to acknowledge my presence as he swiftly whipped his head to me, pink locks falling this way and that against the outline of his face. I briefly noticed that his bangs were actually in his eyes, instead of the normal up-do he usually styled them in.

"Lucy…. Uh, hey, I didn't see you there."

_He must really be out of it to have only just now noticed me.._

"Natsu.." I started, a little unsure. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to say, now that I had finally found the boy. Well, actually, I had a whole hell of a lot to say, more like I didn't know where to start.

However, before I got the chance to say anything at all, Natsu flashed me his signature grin, fangs and all. It was so obviously forced and overdone I wanted to scream.

"Whatcha doin' out here Luce? The party can't be that bad!" He smiled at me, eyes silently begging me to leave, to let him sulk in peace.

And that's all it took me to snap.

"You. Freaking. _IDIOT!_" I screeched, stalking over to him in the most menacing way I could manage. The moonlight highlighted his widening eyes as I stopped right in front of his face, hands balled at my sides, I'm sure I was fury-red at that point too.

"Uh, Lucy?" He squeaked, not entirely sure what was going on. He started slowly leaning away from me, head inching backwards in fear.

I clenched my teeth and grabbed his either side of his face with my hands, effectively stopping his progression away from me. He let out a yelp of confusion, hands flinging out behind him to steady his balance on the beam.

"I can't believe you!" I shouted, thoroughly over his ridiculous 'I'm-a-big-boy-with-no-lingering-emotions' act. Looking back, it was probably a little harsh for a boy on the brink of falling apart, but seriously, I was so freaking pissed.

"Um, Luce, what happened? Seriously what did I-"

"Don't play dumb with me you moron, did you seriously think wouldn't notice?!" I screeched, cutting him off mid sentence. He frowned in forced confusion, like he wasn't quite sure what I was talking about.

"Lucy, I honestly have no idea what you're talking about." He said hurriedly, shoulder's hunched. I could feel him trying to turn his head in my grasp so he wouldn't have to look me in the eye.

Oh no you don't.

I narrowed my eyes at the pink-haired boy, but he finally managed to wriggle his head out of my grasp. Looking away, he pushed himself off the marble railing so that he could stand in front of me, and I silently cursed the fact that he was taller then me.

"Lucy, come on, let's just go back to the party," He begged as he reached his hand towards mine. I let out an audible growl as I snatched his hand in mine, causing his eyes to widen in surprise.

"No." I growled, eyes narrowed.

Natsu let out a sigh, eyes downcast. "Lucy, listen-"

"No, you listen," I stated threateningly, using the hand I had captured to pull him closer to me, I poked him square in the chest, my eyes narrowed in anger, worry, fear.. and, something else I wasn't quite ready to admit.

"Luce-" He started, but I cut him off before he could get the thought out.

I gripped his hand a little tighter, eyes still narrowed in annoyance. I jabbed my finger into his well-toned chest with every word, my eyes never leaving his face.

"You flash that big smile of yours and say everything's ok, you put on a show and everyone forgets. Well listen up tough guy, you can't fool me, because if I'm still not ok, you sure as hell aren't either!" The last part came out as more of a shout then not, and Natsu's eyes widened in shock.

"I.." He trailed off, like he didn't quite know how to respond. Lucky for him, I sure had a lot more to say.

"Why are you suffering out here all alone?" I demanded, pointing to the marble railing he'd been sitting on earlier. He remained silent, eyes on the hand I still held firmly in my own, like he didn't want to admit that's exactly what he had been doing.

"We're teammates! We've been through hell and back together! So why are you acting like it's ok? Because it's not ok, Natsu! It's not ok…" It started off as a yell, but by the end my voice was barley a whisper. If not for Natsu's super-duper dragon hearing, he probably wouldn't have even caught it.

"Lucy, Lucy hey, don't cry, please don't cry." He whispered, voice cracking ever so slightly as he said my name. He brought his free hand to the side of my face and wiped a stray tear that had fallen.

"Shit, that wasn't supposed to happen." I muttered angrily as I tried to wipe the water out of my eyes. I was out here to comfort him, not to start crying half a second in.

But everything inside of me ached, and my head pounded with the memories of death and destruction. I shouldn't have my future self's memories, right? That future was supposed to be gone, erased from this timeline. So why, at the most random of times, did I get glimpses of a future that wasn't supposed to have happened?

I chocked back another sob.

I could feel Natsu's hand shaking ever so slightly in my own, and I knew his mental state wasn't much better off then mine. I still couldn't see his eyes, his silky pinkish bangs shadowing most of his face from view.

"Are you ok, Luce?" He tried, his voice already a little shaky.

"No." I said, barley choking the word out. "No, Natsu, I'm not ok." My voice caught at his name, memories of him, broken and bleeding, ghosted at the back of my mind. I squeezed my eyes closed as more tears found their way down my checks.

"Lucy.. I...I'm not..ok, either." He said in barley a whisper, as if saying the words out loud would shatter something within him.

They probably did.

I clutched his hand a little tighter, and getting a grip on myself, reached my free hand out towards him.

"Natsu, I.." I honestly had no idea how to finish the thought, and luckily, I didn't have to.

Before I could react, Natsu yanked on our connected hands and brought me right into his chest. I released his hand in shock, and he immediately wrapped both his arms around my back, crushing me into him. He buried his face into the crook of my neck, and without even taking a moment to think about it, I flung my hands around his neck, clutching against him as if he would disappear at any moment.

I wasn't quite sure how long we stood there in silence, holding onto each other like our lives depended on it. We were shaking and vulnerable, and I'm sure I was still crying, but we were safe in each other's arms.

Eventually I was shaking so badly I couldn't bring myself to stand anymore, I sunk to the ground, dragging Natsu down with me. He easily complied, not really having the will to remain standing either.

I was just barley beginning to regain control of my emotions, breathing ragged but steadier, at least. My tears had stopped, but I still shook with every breath. Natsu wasn't quite as well off, however. He was still shaking violently, and although I couldn't see his eyes, I was sure they were watering.

And so I kept my arms around him in comfort, pulling him to me as I rested my head just above his own, steadily taking in ragged breaths of the scent of incense and cinders. It was so calming, so easing, I could only hope mine had a similar effect on him as well.

After who knows how long, we had moved ourselves into a sitting position against the marble railing Natsu had previously been sitting on. His cape had wrapped it's way protectively around us both, creating a warm, calming affect from within it's confines.

I was so tired. Everything felt raw and drowsy, I could hardly even tell what was happening or where I was anymore. Crying for who-knows-how-long could do that to a person. My mind felt like mush. Natsu seamed to be in a similar state.

"Lucy?" He called out, voice course and hardly even a whisper.

"Mmhhm?" I called back drowsily, my eyes already at half-lid. I was fading fast.

"Thanks." He muttered, turning his head towards me, and for the first time that night, I could really see his eyes.

And me, in my half-asleep state on the palace balcony, thought they looked really pretty. His long thick eyelashes had what looked like tiny drops of dew stuck against them, his deep onyx eyes half-lidded in drowsiness and fatigue.

He looked real, raw, and I thought that was pretty.

So I told him.

"Natsu, you have pretty eyes." I muttered, my own eyes fluttering in exhaustion.

And for the first time that night, I saw something I didn't think I would be seeing for a while still.

He smiled. For real.

Without even realizing it, I found myself leaning against him in exhaustion. I didn't care, and he didn't really seem to either. His shoulder was making a really awesome pillow. I felt him rest his head over mine.

"So do you, Luce."

And I smiled too.

* * *

Sunlight had just began to trickle over the horizon line, it's golden fingers reaching over the hills and casting long, smooth shadows across the kingdom skyline.

And in the doorway of a palace balcony, stood an entire guild. The only guild that could drink like sailors all night and still stand upright the next morning. And at the front of this guild, stood a man. An old one, at that.

The short little man crossed his arms at the scene in front of him, the children behind him wearing varying levels of smirks and grins directed at the pair of sleeping teens on the royal balcony.

Makarov gave a sigh, and then a slight smile, "Did you brats really think we didn't notice? One child's pain is felt by every family member, you know." His smile grew a little larger, "Plus, you're both terrible actors, damn brats."

Erza put a hand on her master's shoulder, the ghost of a smile gracing her features, "But they do seem to have worked it out for the time being, Master." She reassured the older man, her eyes soft as she gazed at the two teens.

A shirtless figure materialized next to the redhead, wearing a widening grin of his own, "Jeez, I mean, just look at those two." He threw a hand out towards the sleeping teens. "If they aren't together after this, I'm going to kick Natsu's ass."

"Juvia wouldn't be so sure," A blue haired girl commented on the scene from behind Gray's arm, "Juvia thinks they are both dense as bricks."

Makarov let out a hearty laugh at the thought, "I suppose you would be right. Why don't we leave them there, hm? They look like they are sleeping well" He stated, turning his back on the two to lead the rest of his guild back inside. After a few more snickers and knowing remarks, the rest of the guild followed behind.

Completely unknowing of the situation, Lucy snuggled her head deeper into the crook of Natsu's neck, who in turn burrowed his face in the hair on top of her head in his sleep.

And from the heat of each other's arms, they smiled.

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**That's all for now folks! It's a little old so sorry it's not all that great, but I sincerely hope you'll review anyways! Thank you so much for reading!**

**'Till next time!**

**~Ria**


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